Lynx FINISHLYNX SCHOLASTIC User manual

FinishLynx Scholastic System Quick Start Guide Page 1
FINISHLYNX SCHOLASTIC PACKAGE
QUICK START GUIDE
FOR ETHERLYNX VISION CAMERAS
Updated May 2018

FinishLynx Scholastic System Quick Start Guide Page 2
FinishLynx Scholastic System
Verify that your FinishLynx Scholastic System contains the components pictured here. If something is missing, or if you have
questions setting up your system after following the instructions in this quick start guide, call: 1-800-989-LYNX.
Item
Description
Part
Number
Item
Description
Part
Number
Carrying case
1A210
Normally closed start
sensor with light
3L400
EtherLynx Vision Scholastic
high sensitivity camera
5L510
500 ft. start sensor
cable
3A100
CS Mount Fixed 6mm lens,
F1.2
CS-612
DB15 to XLR
Connection cable
451-S
Not pictured
Scholastic-level Timer
enable option embedded in
camera
5LTE
25 ft. Ethernet cables
(x2)
C10BT-25
Geared head
BG3275
Capture button and
USB/Serial adapter
1A205U
Camera tripod
5LTP10
Power Injector for
Power Over Ethernet
IDL-PoE
Lynx USB Flash Drive with
FinishLynx LITE and LynxPad
5LSWL and
9LSW01
Be sure to keep your USB flash drive safe. It includes your Serial Numbers, Software, & Quick-Start Guides.
To access the files, insert the flash drive in your computer and navigate to the folders.
Items not included
Computer (laptop recommended) running Microsoft Windows. Your computer needs: one available USB port or a serial port (a
9-pin connection found on the back), and one available Ethernet port.
Plumb bob and string. The plumb bob is available at your local hardware store, and you can use virtually any type of string or
twine, as long as it is at least the width of your track (optional).
Printer (optional).
Introduction
In this quick start guide, you will learn how to set up and configure the FinishLynx LITE network, set up the EtherLynx Scholastic
camera and align it with the finish line, capture, evaluate, and print a FinishLynx LITE image and results, and import a start list
created in LynxPad.
For more detailed or advanced instructions, consult the online FinishLynx Operator’s Manual (help.finishlynx.com)or the technical
support section of our website: www.finishlynx.com/support/.

FinishLynx Scholastic System Quick Start Guide Page 3
Step 1. Go to the track
Bring your FinishLynx system (and an assistant) to the track.
Make sure there is power available for your computers and
for the Power over Ethernet switch. The EtherLynx Vision
camera and the IdentiLynx camera will receive their power
via the Ethernet data cables.
Set up a table near the finish line, ideally on the infield if
power is available. The finish line should have black lane
markers painted or taped on the finish. If not, we suggest you
use black matte tape to designate lane lines. This will help
you align the camera and get clearer images.
Step 2. Install the Software
A. FinishLynx LITE (Scholastic Package)
Install FinishLynx LITE from the USB thumb drive provided with
your system or download the latest version at:
www.finishlynx.com/product/software/finishlynx-results-software/
When prompted, enter the serial number(s) provided on the
flash drive. Please note that your FinishLynx LITE serial number
will not work with the regular version of FinishLynx.
B. LynxPad
Install using the Lynx flash drive or download the latest
version of LynxPad at:
http://www.finishlynx.com/product/event-management/lynxpad/
Follow the instructions on your screen to install LynxPad.
When prompted, enter the serial number found inside the
Lynx flash drive.
Note: You should Right Click on the installer and select Run
as Administrator to install LynxPad, if you do not, you will not
be able to print from LynxPad.
C. USB/Serial adapter
1. Install using the Lynx flash drive by navigating to the
USB-to-Serial Adapter folder.
2. Insert the USB adaptor into an available USB port on
your computer. Allow Windows to run through its
recognition process for the device and driver.
Step 3. Evaluate a sample image
1. Start FinishLynx LITE. Click File - Open….
2. Double-click Sprint.evn to open the sample event.
Note: This sample is a two-camera image. Your Scholastic
System uses only 1 line-scan camera and produces single-
camera images.
3. Click the mouse once on the torso of a competitor on the
left side of the screen. A red hairline appears. You can
click and hold the red crosshair and drag it up or down to
the correct lane number on the left side of your screen.
4. Press the Enter key on your computer. The finisher’s
time appears in the start list above the image.
5. Repeat these steps for all of the competitors on the
screen. You have just successfully evaluated a race in
FinishLynx.
6. Click File | Close window. If you want to reuse the image
later for practice evaluation, click No when asked to save
your changes. Close FinishLynx.
Step 4. Configure the network for Windows
OS prior to Windows 7 (See Step 5 below for
Windows 7, 8 and higher)
1. Click the Microsoft Windows Start button and select
Control Panel, or click Start | Settings | Control Panel.
2. Double-click Network Connections.
3. Right-click the Local Area Connection associated with the
network interface card (NIC) in use and select Properties.
The Local Area Connection Properties dialog appears.
4. Make sure you see a line that reads, Internet Protocol
(TCP/IP). You may have to scroll down to see it.
a. Click Install and select Protocol.
b. Click Add....
c. Click to select the Microsoft TCP/IP option and then
click OK.
5. Check the box next to Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).
6. Click to select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and then click
Properties. The Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties
dialog appears.
7. Click the Use the following IP Address: button and then
type the following numbers:
IP address: 192.168.0.5
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0. Click Ok and then click
Ok again.
8. If you are running Windows XP, follow these steps to
disable the firewall. Otherwise continue Step 6 below
a. Open the Windows Network & Sharing Center.
b. Right-click the Local Area Connection associated
with your system, and select Properties. The Local
Area Connection dialog appears.
c. Click the Advanced tab.
d. Make sure the box under Internet Connection
Firewall is unchecked.
e. Click Ok and then exit the Network Connections
screen. Restart your computer.

FinishLynx Scholastic System Quick Start Guide Page 4
Step 5. Configure the network for Windows
7 & 8 (if applicable)
Note: Sections 1 and 2 should be completed on both
FinishLynx and Meet Management computer.
1. Go to the windows Control Panel. On the top right is
View By with a drop down arrow. Click the drop down
arrow and choose Small or Large Icons.
2. Find and double click on Network and Sharing
Center. They are listed alphabetically by icon name.
3. This will open the Network and Sharing Center. On the
left is a blue section titled Control Panel Home.
4. Click on the Change Adapter Settings icon.
5. A new window will open displaying your network
connections. Right click on the Wireless Network
Connection and select Disable from the list of
items. This is only necessary for the FinishLynx Capture
computer.
6. Right click on the Local Area Connection and select
Properties from the list of items. A new window will
appear with a list of connection items. Click to select
Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click the
Properties button.
7. A Properties window will appear and is typically set to
Obtain an IP address automatically. Click to select the
radio button for Use the following IP address. In the box
for IP address, enter 192.168.0.5 for FinishLynx and hit
Tab key to auto fill in Subnet mask 255.255.255.0
8. Click OK and navigate back to the Control Panel. In the
control panel click on the Windows Firewall icon. Under
Control Panel Home, on the left, click on Turn Windows
Firewall on or off.
9. Turn off both Home and Public Firewalls (Domain for
Windows Pro).
Step 6. Set up the EtherLynx Scholastic
camera and tripod
Note: In addition to following the instructions in this quick
start guide, we recommend you view the Camera Setup,
Mounting, and Alignment videos available on the Lynx
YouTube channel and website:
www.finishlynx.com/support/setup-videos/
1. Open the legs of the tripod in line with the finish line,
preferably on the infield and approximately 8-10 feet
back.
2. Extend the legs of the tripod so they are at full height -
approximately 6 feet.
3. Attach the supplied 1/4” to 3/8”
brass adaptor to the screwed stud
on top of the tripod (Adaptor is
taped to adjustment handle of
tripod)
4. Secure the geared head to the stud on top of
the tripod.
5. Note how the mounting plate is attached to
the geared head. Then, pull back on the lever at the top
of the geared head to release the mounting plate.
6. Using the hole closest to the camera lens on the bottom
of the camera, tighten the mounting plate by screwing it
into place. The arrow on the bottom of the mounting
plate should point toward the lens. Use a flathead
screwdriver or a coin to tighten the mounting plate.
7. Make minor adjustments to the tripod legs so both
bubbles on the tripod are centered.
Step 7. Align camera on finish line
1. On the near side of the finish line, hold the plumb bob so
that it is suspended directly above the middle of the
finish line. This is the plumb line, shown as a in the image
below.
2. Tie string to the screw on the top of the tripod head.
Have your assistant take the other end of the string to
the far side of the finish line and hold the string taught.
This is the sight line, shown as bin the image below.
3. Move the tripod to the left or right until the plumb line
and sight line touch at position c in the image below. The
camera is now in the finish line plane.
4. Attach the camera to the tripod by clicking the mounting
plate in place on top of the geared head. The lens should
point toward the finish line.
5. Turn the black knob on the geared head that controls the
tilt of the camera so that it is at about a 30 degree angle
to the ground
Sight line
Plumb
line

FinishLynx Scholastic System Quick Start Guide Page 5
Step 8. Connect the cables
Sensor
USB
Cat 5 Ethernet
DB 15 Cable
XLR
Capture
Button
PoE
Injector Cat 5 Ethernet
AC AC
EtherLynx
Scholastic Vision
Camera
1. Connect an Ethernet cable between the back of the
camera labeled POE 10/100/1000 to the port labelled
Out on the Power over Ethernet injector.
2. Connect an Ethernet cable to the network connection on
your computer and the other end to a port labelled In on
the Power over Ethernet injector.
3. Connect the male end of the start sensor cable to the
DB15 to XLR Connection cable. Attach the start sensor to
the other end of the cable and keep the start sensor
close by.
4. Connect the capture button cable to the USB/Serial
adapter and connect this to a USB port on your
computer.
5. Turn on the camera by pressing and holding the black
power button on the back.
Step 9. Align the EtherLynx camera
Note: The EtherLynx Vision camera can be aligned using
either 1-D mode or 2-D EasyAlign mode. We recommend
using EasyAlign. If you are using an older model EtherLynx
camera, however, it must be aligned using classic 1-D mode.
NOTE: If running a wireless Ethernet card on your computer,
we recommend that you disable it while the camera is
booting.
Start FinishLynx LITE. Wait while the green status bar in the
lower right corner of the screen completes its cycle.
Align Vision Camera in EasyAlign 2-D Video Mode
1. Activate EasyAlign by clicking on the 2D align Icon in
the top left hand corner of the FinishLynx Hardware
Control screen.
The icon turns green and the 2-D video viewer
appears within the software. The 2-D viewer makes it
easy to see how your camera is aligned on the finish. The
goal is to align the green vertical line with the painted
finish line and near its front edge.
2. Adjust Camera Orientation
Use the tripod's Tilt, Pan, and Swivel knobs to adjust the
camera orientation of the camera on the finish. You want to
ensure that the green vertical line is perfectly aligned on the
white finish line and that all lanes are visible in the viewer.
Tilt
Pan
Swivel
Have your assistant run through the finish line and watch
where he/she appears on the computer monitor. The goal is
for the runner’s torso to be fully visible in both the inside and
outside lanes. Once the camera position is correct, you can
then optimize the remote lens settings.
3. Adjust & Optimize Lens Settings
- Manually adjust lens aperture ring to control the
amount of light in the lens. If your picture looks too
white or washed out, turn the aperture ring to a higher f-
number, to let less light in.
- Manually adjust lens focus ring to infinity (∞). This
ensures your Far Focus (focus of lanes farthest from
camera) appears crisp.

FinishLynx Scholastic System Quick Start Guide Page 6
After your far lanes appear in focus, ensure that your
near lanes are similarly in focus as well. This will usually
be the case automatically. Note: If you are having a hard
time getting crisp focus, try opening your lens iris and
allowing the AGC to drop closer to zero
4. Once the camera appears to be aligned, Click, the green
alignment icon to close 2D alignment and then click
on the red 1-D alignment icon . You will know when
your camera is aligned on the finish line because the 1-D
image will be primarily white. See image below for
proper 1-D alignment.
If you followed the steps closely in 2-D align, the camera
should already be aligned in 1-D mode as well. The 1-D
image should look similar to the following screen
capture:
If your picture looks washed out by too much light, turn the
aperture ring to a higher f-number, to let less light in.
5. Have your assistant run through the finish line and watch
where he/she appears on the computer monitor. The
goal is for the runner’s torso to be fully visible in both the
inside and outside lanes. Now, have your assistant run
through the inner-most and outer-most lanes. Adjust the
tilt of the camera until he/she is clearly visible on both
ends of the finish line.
Note: It may be necessary to move the camera further
back from the track if you cannot see all lanes in the
image.
Tilt
Pan
Swivel
6. After the image on the computer shows a white
background and black lane lines and your assistant
appears in the inner and outer-most lanes, adjust the
camera lens focus ring again until all lanes appear crisp
and in focus.
Step 10. Adjust FinishLynx camera settings
1. Click | Parameters | AGC.
2. Click the Setup tab and enter the number of lanes at your
finish line in the Lanes field.
3. Check that Identify by… is set to Lanes
4. Click Ok.
5. Select File | Options from the FinishLynx Lite menu bar
6. Under the General tab select the correct USB/Serial Port
from the Capture Button drop down listing.
Step 11. Create a shared directory for
FinishLynx and LynxPad
1. Right-click on your computer desktop and select New |
Folder. When the New Folder appears, change the name
to Practice competition.
2. In FinishLynx, click File | Options…. Click the Browse
button on the Event Directory: and navigate to the
Practice competition directory you just created. Then,
click Ok.
3. Still in FinishLynx, click File | Options… and click the
Database tab. Click the Browse… button next to the
Output Directory: and navigate to the Practice
competition directory. Then, click Ok.
4. Now, start LynxPad by clicking the Windows Start button
and then All Programs | LynxPad.
5. Click File | Options… and uncheck the Load Existing
Results on Program Start box. Then, click Ok.
6. Open the sample competition by clicking File | Open.
Navigate to C:\LynxPadData\Sample and then double-
click the lynx.cmp file. A practice competition opens on
the screen.
7. Still in LynxPad, click File | Options…. Click the Browse
button next to the Directory: text field. Navigate to the
Practice competition file you created earlier. Select it
and click Ok. Click Apply and then click Ok again.
8. Still in LynxPad, click File | Save as… and navigate to the
Practice competition folder. Then, click Ok. Now,
FinishLynx can get start lists created in LynxPad, and
LynxPad can import results generated by FinishLynx.
Step 12. Use FinishLynx with LynxPad Data
1. In FinishLynx, click to load the schedule of events
from LynxPad. The Go To Event dialog appears.
2. Click the Load Schedule button once. Click the drop-
down list under the Load Schedule button. A list of
events appears. Click to select the “110 Meter Hurdles
Men (9, 3, 1)” event in the list, and then click Ok. The
first heat of the third round of the men’s 110m hurdles
opens on the FinishLynx screen.

FinishLynx Scholastic System Quick Start Guide Page 7
3. Either use a starting gun, or knock the sensor sharlpy
against a hard object - this simulates the firing of the
starting gun and starts the yellow FinishLynx timer.
4. Have your assistant run through the finish line while you
press down and hold the red capture button to capture
the image. Release the button as soon as he/she has run
completely through the finish line.
5. Practice evaluating the image by following the same
steps you followed earlier in Step 3
6. Click File | Save to save the race to the Practice
competition directory.
7. Crop space between competitors in your FinishLynx
image by right-clicking and drawing a box around the
unwanted space. Release the mouse button and select
Crop from the dialog that appears.
8. (Optional) Print the results and a portion of the
FinishLynx image by right-clicking on the image and
drawing a box around the portion you want to appear in
your printout. For example, the first place finisher or a
close finish between two competitors. Click Ok and then
select the printer from the Print dialog to print the image
and results.
9. Click File | Close window and then click Yes to save
changes you made to the FinishLynx image when you
cropped it.
10. In LynxPad, click to highlight Men 110 Meter Hurdles in
the Events window. The start list appears in the Heats
window.
1. Still in LynxPad, click Competition | Refresh All Results.
The results from the race you just evaluated appear in
LynxPad.
This completes the FinishLynx Scholastic System Quick Start
Guide.

FinishLynx Scholastic System Quick Start Guide Page 8
Notes: